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Subject: English Literature

Course: The Hero’s Journey

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‘The Hero’s Journey’

Key Stage 4 English Literature





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Course Rationale

This course offers pupils an opportunity to engage with the rich tradition of Western Mythology,

particularly focusing on the monomyth idea developed by Joseph Campbell, which is sometimes

also known as ‘The Hero’s Journey’.

The monomyth is a literary theory, and it is Campbell’s attempt to assemble the themes common

to mythic stories across a variety of cultural traditions. While other scholars have developed, and

even simplified, Campbell’s initial theory, the central pattern of separation, initiation and return

remains.

A hero ventures forth, slays some great dragon or rescues a princess, before returning home and

sharing gifts with his community. Does this sound familiar? Joseph Campbell would certainly expect

it to; this is a really basic example of what a monomyth looks like.

A key term in our course will be ‘mythopoesis’, another word for mythmaking, as we will be

examining the ways in which writers have adapted and appropriated traditional myths for modern

retellings.

We will use the lens, provided by Campbell’s literary theory, to investigate these stories, while also

analysing the theory itself. One particular problem we will look to address is the lack of women, or

of structures related to women; as in the myth’s Campbell (and others) was focusing on, women

weren’t heroes. In line with this, we will look at a selection of related theories in order to better

understand the uses and limitations of Campbell’s approach to understanding myths, whilst also

looking to more recent conceptions and understandings of the hero/heroine in order to address

the above problem.

Pupils will be expected to complete a homework assignment after each tutorial and the final

assessment will be a 2000 word university-style essay titled:

“How useful is Joseph Campbell’s Hero With A Thousand Faces as a tool for literary criticism?”

Leah Phillips

PhD Candidate, The University of Warwick





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Contents

(Pages 5-15) Tutorial 1 – Literary Theory: An Introduction to Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth

Objectives

What is Literary Criticism? o Text: What is Literary Theory by Jonathan Culler

The Hero’s Journey – Constructing the Monomyth o Hero’s Journey Chart o The Hero’s Journey Cartoon

Notes

Assignment Extension (appendix) – Excerpt from Joseph Campbell’s Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949)

(Pages 16-20) Tutorial 2 – Myth vs Folktale: Introducing Lord Raglan

Objectives

Assessing the Hero – reviewing last sessions assignment

Looking More Closely at Myth and Mythopoeis (or mythmaking)

Other Traditional Stories: Legends, Folktales, Fables and Fairytales

Lord Raglan o The Hero of Tradition

Activity

Notes

Assignment Extension (appendix) – Illustration of Kurt Vonnegut’s ‘The Shape of Stories’

(Pages 21-23) Tutorial 3 – Genre and/or Character: Introducing Vladimir Propp

Objectives

Assessing the Monomyth – reviewing last session’s assignment

Theory Re-Cap o Campbell, Raglan and Vonnegut

Genre o What is genre and how does it effect usefulness of the monomyth?

Character o What is character and how do different characters work in relation to the monomyth?

Activity

Vladimir Propp o Dramatis Personae and 31 Functions (Overview)

Plenary

Notes

Assignment Extension (appendix) – Chart of Propp’s Dramatis Personae and his 31 Functions





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(Page 24-25) Tutorial 4 – Critical Reviews of the Monomyth

Objectives

Conformity to the Hero’s Journey? o The Anti-Hero? o The Female Hero? o Alternative Plots

Extended Assignment Question

(Page 26) Tutorial 5 – Presentations and Feedback

Objectives

Presentations

Assignment

(Pages 27) Glossary/Key Terms

A glossary of key words and phrase that will be used throughout the course.

(Pages 29) Appendix

Excerpt from Joseph Campbell’s Hero with a Thousand Faces

The Shape of Stories by Kurt Vonnegut

Tips for Writing a Literary Analysis

Summary of Vladimir Propp’s Dramatis Personae and Narratemes The Heroine’s Journey (Adapted from Maureen Murdock)





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Tutorial 1 – Literary Theory: An Introduction to Joseph

Campbell’s Monomyth

Objectives

To be able to define literary theory and to give examples

To be able to list the stages of Joseph Campbell’s monomyth and to give examples

What is Literary Criticism?

The following source is adapted from ‘Purdue Owl: Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism’.

What does it mean to study literature? What are we doing when we perform literary criticism? Does performing

literary criticism create literary theory?

Literature literally means ‘things made of letters’, but it can be more than just books. Studying literature

also means studying: films, poetry, graphic novels, art and even culture.

The easiest way to visualize what literary theory is to imagine that the various ideas (or criticism) are

lenses that are used to think and talk about literature. Each lens allows critics to focus on different issues

within literature in sharper focus. The lens may focus on authorship, critical value, or reader’s responses

to texts, for example.

Further examples:

A critic working with Marxist theories might focus on the economic structures faced by different

characters in a text

A critic working with feminist theories might focus on how gender is represented in a text.

A critic working with structuralist theories might focus on the form of text and how that form

relates to other texts.

Note – You don’t have to use a single critical theory; in fact, most people use a couple (or more) when

approaching a text.

‘Doing’ literary criticism isn’t only for your teachers or for university students. It’s about critically engaging with

texts, questioning your reactions and considering how others have also responded. You can have a lot of training

or very little and still ‘do’ literary criticism, perhaps, even creating a new literary theory along the way.

Question – From the above, do you feel that you are able to define literature, literary theory and literary

criticism?

Activity – With a partner come up with three example of literature (be creative!) and using the excerpt from

Jonathan Culler’s Literary Theory: A Short Introduction pick a literary theory to share with the group.

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/722/1/





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The Hero’s Journey – Constructing the Monomyth

The following source is adapted from www.wikipedia.org

Joseph Campbell’s Big Idea

Joseph Campbell's big idea is that a single ‘monomyth’ exists, sometimes known as ‘the Hero's Journey’ and that

it is the basic pattern that (according to its supporters) constructs many myths, or narratives, from around the

world. This widely distributed pattern was described by Campbell in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces

(1949).

Campbell believed that numerous myths from disparate times and regions share fundamental structures and

stages, which he summarised in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces:

A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are

there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the

power to bestow boons on his fellow man.

Campbell and other scholars, such as Erich Neumann, describe the narratives of Buddha, Moses, and Jesus Christ

in terms of the monomyth, and Campbell argues that classic myths from many cultures follow the basic pattern.

The Basic Pattern

According to the basic pattern of the monomyth, the hero begins in the ordinary world, and receives a call to

enter an unknown world of strange powers and events. The hero who accepts the call to enter this strange world

must face tasks and trials, either alone or with assistance. In the most intense versions of the narrative, the hero

must survive a severe challenge, often with help. If the hero survives, he may achieve a great gift (which Campbell

refers to with an old-fashioned word – ‘boon’ – well, he was writing in 1949!)

The hero must then decide whether to return to the ordinary world with this boon. If the hero does decide to

return, he or she often faces challenges on the return journey. If the hero returns successfully, the boon or gift

may be used to improve the world. To give a few examples: the stories of Osiris, Prometheus, Moses and Buddha,

can be interpreted to follow this structure closely.

Campbell describes 17 stages along this journey. These 17 stages may be organized in a number of ways, and

some literary theorists (i.e. academics who write about stories) have offered their own ideas about how best to

break down the monomyth; some break it down into 8 stages, some into 12 stages, some leave it at 17 and some

even break it down even further. However it may be broken down, the three stages of ‘separation, initiation and

return’ form the core of Campbell’s pattern. “Separation” deals with the hero's adventure prior to the quest;

“initiation” deals with the hero's many adventures along the way; and “return” deals with the hero's return home

with knowledge and powers acquired on the journey.

Note – Wikipedia is a very useful tool as an introduction to a topic. The link below is an article that is a wonderful

example of how Wikipedia can work (it isn’t always reliable). The article outlines each of the 17 stages, gives a key

quote from Joseph Campbell and then examples of the stage from Classical literature and Modern literature.

While this is useful for helping you come to terms with the monomyth, it is not appropriate as a direct reference

in your essay. At the end of this document, there is an excerpt from Campbell’s Hero with a Thousand Faces

(1949) – that’s what you cite.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth#The_17_Stages_of_the_Monomyth





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The main stages of Joseph Campbell’s ‘Hero’s Journey’ are summarised in the diagram below:





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Another interesting way of assessing the Hero’s Journey is through this cartoon strip, which uses examples from

popular culture that you might recognise.





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Questions – Think about the idea that different literary theorists have broken the monomyth down into stages in

different ways. How closely do you think this cartoon strip fits in with Campbell’s 17 stage theory? Does it matter

that people have different ideas? Who do you think is correct?

Notes:





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Assignment

Part 1 – Read the extract from Joseph Campbell’s Hero with a Thousand Faces (found in the appendix). Note down

any questions that you have for discussion (I expect you to have questions – difficult words, phrases, content,

connections).

Part 2 – Choose a story that you are familiar with and that you think fits in with the basic pattern of the

monomyth. (Remember, the monomyth does not necessarily have to include every stage).

Take a piece of A4 paper and fold it in half, in half again and then in half again. You will now have a paper made

up of eight rectangles. Have a think about it and break up the plot of your chosen story into eight main segments

and write one on each of the rectangles.

Important – Make sure that you do not put the plot segments in order, mix them up on your page.

For example…

Both of these assignments are due at the start of our next tutorial, as we will be using them to continue

developing our understanding of Joseph Campbell’s monomyth.





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Tutorial 2 – Myth vs Folktales: Introducing Lord Raglan

Objectives

To continue exploring Joseph Campbell’s monomyth

To be able to explain ‘mythopoesis’ or ‘mythmaking’

To be able to compare myths and other traditional stories (folktales, fairytales, fables, legends),

identifying differences and similarities

To explore Lord Raglan’s theory, as an alternate way of looking at ‘mythic’ stories

Assessing ‘the Hero’ – reviewing last session’s assignment

Part 1

Activity – By way of introduction to this tutorial (and to recap on the last one) we are going to start with your

homework assignment. Swap your folded A4 sheet with a partner and then try to put the plot segments of their

story into the correct order, this works best if you have not read each other’s story first!

-------------------------------------------------

Now you have finished… did the story go something like this: “A hero ventures forth, slays some great dragon or

rescues a princess, before returning home and sharing gifts with his community.” Remember, Joseph Campbell

would expect it to because this is a really basic example of what a monomyth looks like!

Part 2

Discussion – Having read the extract from Joseph Campbell’s Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949), what questions

or points for discussion did you have?

Looking More Closely at Myth and ‘Mythopoesis’ or ‘Mythmaking’:

We’ve been talking quite a lot about myth over the last two sessions. From what you’ve read, what does myth

mean to you?

-------------------------------------------------

Myth and ‘mythopoesis’:

The English word myth comes from the Greek word mythos, which means word or story. However, mythos does

not mean just any word or story – it means divinely inspired (from the gods). Claiming that myths are ‘from the

gods’ gives these stories a special kind of power. In ancient times, myths weren’t just something your friend,

aunty, mother or cousin told you; they were from the gods (so, you’d better pay attention).

These narratives also featured gods and goddesses – Zeus, Hades, Artemis, Athena, Poseidon, Hera, Persephone

(just to name a few). There were also human heroes (more or less the character Campbell focused on in his ‘Big

Idea) – Hercules, Odysseus, Theseus, Perseus, Jason.

Because myths were from the gods and about the gods, these narratives were traditionally considered to be high-

culture, they were passed (or given) to common people from priests and men of letters (those who could read

and write – and yes, just men. Women weren’t taught to read or write in ancient times!).





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However, myths aren’t static things; they change, which is where mythopoesis comes into play. Mythopoesis is

the art of ‘making myths’. First used by Tolkien in the 1930s (in a poem he wrote called Mythopeia), Mythopoesis

is now used to describe how writers and artists participate in the tradition of myth, by writing new ones. Tolkien’s

Hobbit and his Lord of the Rings trilogy are fantastic example of modern-day myths.

Question – Another literary theorist, Kurt Vonnegut, believes that we can identify lots of different story ‘shapes’

and that these are in some way linked to the type of plot. With reference to the diagram in the appendix, how

useful do you think Joseph Campbell’s literary theory is when applied to story ‘shapes’ other than the mythic?

Other Traditional Stories: Legends, Folktales, Fables and Fairytales

Above we discussed how myths come down to people from priests and men-of-letters. Myth, in its traditional

sense, is about the written story or word, and it carries with it the authority of almost religious significance. In

other words, while traditional myths did change, they didn’t change as quickly as the oral stories that people

shared on a daily basis (these are the stories that your: friend, aunty, mother or cousin told you), and within these

traditional literatures (like folktales, fairytales, fables and legends) we find mythic ideas re-written.

Legends: are essentially myths personalised. They aren’t as grand as myths (don’t feature

gods/goddesses and all that goes with those characters), but they are still regarded as truth, in the ways

that myths are (or were). Legends are folk history and often explain natural happenings: like a Native

American legend that explains why the crow is black (he was white before flying too close to the sun and

has been black ever since). Examples: Robin Hood, ‘Urban Legends’, America’s Johnny Appleseed, The

Highwayman)

Folktales: if legends are the folk history, then the folktale is the oral fiction of the folk (remember not a

lot of ‘folk’ can read or write, so most stories were told (instead of watching TV in the evening, these

people told stories, folktales). These are fiction and are told for entertainment. The word folktale is also

often confused with fairytale, but as we shall see, the two are different. Examples: Little Red Riding Hood,

Snow White, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, etc.

Fables: are moral tales (they aim to teach a lesson). They also usually feature animals whose actions

mimic human behaviour. Examples: The Tortoise and the Hare, The Sick Lion, The Bremen Town

Musicians, and The Three Little Pigs.

Fairytales: are like folktales but they have a couple of very important differences. First, they do usually

feature magic, or the magical. Sometimes, this means there are fairies, but other times, it simply means

witches, trolls, monsters and other ‘magical’ creatures or happenings. Fairytales are also traditionally

written down. Where folktales were part of the oral culture (before most people could really read and

write), fairytales developed the ideas and themes from folktales and put them into stories that were

written down. Examples: Snow White, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, etc.

All of these terms together are known as folklore – the oral culture/literary culture of a people.

Question: While legends, folktales, fables and fairytales aren’t strictly myth, can you spot any similarities?





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Lord Raglan

However, before we look at the Hero’s Journey in more detail, we are going to take a look at a literary theorist

who went by the name of Lord Raglan…

Fitzroy Richard Somerset was 36 years old when he inherited the title of Lord Raglan upon the death of his

father, George Somerset. The year was 1921, and he retired from a successful career in the army,

including service in Hong Kong, Palestine and the Sudan, to return to his family home in South Wales.

Lord Raglan’s travels had left him with a passion for languages and people of different cultures; he is

famous for defining culture as “roughly everything we do that monkeys do not”. When he retired he took up

lots of interests, including carpentry, beekeeping and academic study.

Over the years he published a number of articles and books about languages and culture, including some

works of literary theory. One of these works was called ‘The Hero’, and in it he detailed what he thought

were typical character traits of heroes in myths. He set out these traits as criteria for whether or not

characters can be considered heroes, and then graded heroes from folklore and Classical literature

against his criteria; the more traits a character met, the more of a hero they were considered to be.

As you will notice, this sounds similar to Joseph Campbell’s monomyth. However, Lord Raglan (1936) was in fact

writing before Campbell (1949) and, even though Campbell may have been influenced by Lord Raglan’s writings,

there is an important difference in their approach…

As you may be aware, in order to gain insight into the ways an author has created meaning, literary theory often

separates plot, genre and character within a work of literature. Taking Romeo and Juliet as an example: the main

characters are two young lovers from rival families, the plot focuses on the pursuit of their forbidden love and the

genre might be interpreted as either romance or tragedy. In a similar way, when analysing literature, different

types of literary theory might place a particular emphasis on plot, genre or character.

Question – Out of plot, genre and character, which do you think Lord Raglan’s literary theory places a particular

emphasis on? Which do you think Joseph Campbell’s monomyth places a particular emphasis on?





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Lord Raglan’s Big Idea

In his book The Hero: A study in Tradition, Myth and Dreams, Lord Raglan noted a set of character traits that are

regularly found in hero-myths of all cultures; remember, he lived in many places across the world and had a real

interest in languages and culture so he had a wide range of experiences to draw on.

The Hero of Tradition

1. Hero's mother is a royal virgin;

2. His father is a king, and

3. Often a near relative of his mother, but

4. The circumstances of his conception are unusual, and

5. He is also reputed to be the son of a god.

6. At birth an attempt is made, usually by his father or his maternal grandfather to kill him, but

7. He is spirited away, and

8. Reared by foster -parents in a far country.

9. We are told nothing of his childhood, but

10. On reaching manhood he returns or goes to his future Kingdom.

11. After a victory over the king and/or a giant, dragon, or wild beast,

12. He marries a princess, often the daughter of his predecessor and

13. And becomes king.

14. For a time he reigns uneventfully and

15. Prescribes laws, but

16. Later he loses favour with the gods and/or his subjects, and

17. Is driven from the throne and city, after which

18. He meets with a mysterious death,

19. Often at the top of a hill,

20. His children, if any do not succeed him.

21. His body is not buried, but nevertheless

22. He has one or more holy sepulchres.





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Activity

Part 1

Lord Raglan graded a number of heroes from folklore and Classical literature against his criteria; the more traits a

character met, the more of a hero they were considered to be. You will be given a handout including a profile of

four characters; your activity is to grade each of them against Lord Raglan’s criteria.

Questions

In literature, do you think we can say in black and white terms that a character definitely is/is not a hero,

or are there shades of grey?

If you think the answer is black and white, how many points do you think they would need to score

according to Lord Raglan’s criteria to be considered a hero?

Part 2

Working in pairs, you will design your own set of criteria and scoring system for Joseph Campbell’s monomyth

which will enable you to decide if a story fits the pattern of the hero’s journey or not. You will then grade

examples from the homework assignments and the first tutorial against your own criteria.

Notes:

Assignment

For the next tutorial, write a 300-word piece exploring how useful you think Joseph Campbell’s literary theory is

when applied to stories that are not obviously mythic (for example, crime novels, action films, murder mysteries,

biographies).

With a short piece of evaluative writing like this the aim is not to spend too long describing or defining key ideas,

but rather to get to the heart of the question and to make a clear judgment. You will not have time to cover every

aspect of the question or say everything you want to say; do not worry, embrace this! Take it as a license to focus

on one new, interesting or controversial idea!

See also: Tips for Writing a Literary Analysis (Appendix)





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Tutorial 3 – Genre and/or Character: Introducing Vladimir Propp

Objectives

To continue developing an understanding of character

To be able to define and to identify genre

To be able to compare and contrast the relationship of genre and character to our various theories

To explore Lord Raglan’s theory, an alternative ‘plot’ based pattern

Assessing the ‘monomyth’ – reviewing last session’s assignment


homework assignment. In pairs, share your thoughts on the usefulness of the monomyth when applied to stories

that are not obviously mythic with your partner. You can read it out or simply talk about what you’ve discovered.

Come up with 2 or 3 really good points to share with the whole group. Don’t forget to let us know what story you

considered!

Theory Re-Cap – Campbell, Raglan and Vonnegut

So far, we’ve looked at three theories (or lenses) related to myths or traditional stories (folktales, fairytales, etc).

Joseph Campbell’s ‘Big Idea’ was the monomyth or the idea that at the heart of all myths there is one

single story, or plot: separation, initiation, return. Campbell (and other theorists who follow his theory)

believed that this single plot (or structure) formed the bases of all mythic stories (and some would argue

all narratives in general.

Lord Raglan’s ‘Big Idea’ was The Hero of Tradition or the idea that all heroes fulfilled most– or all – of the

22 characteristics that he identified as being central to making a hero. Lord Raglan, and his supporters,

believed that these characteristics appeared in (varying amounts) all mythic-hero stories.

Kurt Vonnegut’s ‘Big Idea’ was The Shape of Stories or the idea that if you plot the ‘ups and downs’ of the

main character you can identify the shape of a story. The chart in the appendix shows the shapes of some

popular stories.

Discussion – What do you think is the aim (or point) of each of these theories? What are they trying to do?

What are the focused on? What do they leave out?

Genre and Character

Genre is how we categorise, or group, texts (including films). Genre is about finding the similarities between texts

and grouping them together. The broadest categories of genre include: poetry, drama, film, and fiction. With

those it’s easy to see how texts would fit within a specific category (a poem would obviously fit in poetry and not

film). However, those categories are divided up even further. Poetry might include: sonnets, haikus or limericks;

whereas, fiction might also include: westerns, crime, mystery or romance. Bookstores and libraries and even film

services like NetFlix or LoveFilm use genre to help us find the kind of thing we’re looking for.

Handout: Genre Characteristics





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Characters are what populate the narratives we’ve been talking about. The hero is one example, but there are

countless types of characters: animals, fairies, people and ghosts – to name a few. Within this characters can be

defined by different traits. You might have a mother, a friend, a villain or a king. It’s through the characters that

the action of a narrative develops.

Handout: Character Archetypes

Activity

Part 1 – Brainstorming: How well does the monomyth work when applied to other genres?

Using the cards provided by your tutor, discuss the implications (what is lost or gained) when applying the

monomyth to the example(s) you’re given.

Part 2 – Brainstorming: Using the ‘Character Archetypes’ handout, discuss the implications of different characters

going on a hero’s journey (see the handout for more details).

Discussion: What’s more important to Joseph Campbell’s monomyth: character or genre?

31 Functions and Dramatis Personae – Vladimir Propp

The following source is developed from Vladimir Propp’s Morphology of the Folktale (1968)

Vladimir Propp’s Big Idea

Where Joseph Campbell was concerned with myth, Vladimir Propp focused on folktales and fairytales, and his big

idea is known as the ‘Morphology of the Folktale’. While morphology may seem to be a rather complicated word,

it really jus means the form of a folktale; the shape it takes (a little bit like Vonnegut).

Propp focused, primarily, on the Russian folktales of his homeland, and (like Campbell did with myths), he set out

to compare them. He came up with 7 dramatis personae (characters) who function within these narrative, and

through their actions, he came up with 31 narratemes (stages of the story – theorist always feel the need to use

new words!). The character and the stages of the plot work together to construct the story.

In talking about character, he said:

The names of the dramatis personae change (as well as the attributes of each), but neither their actions nor

functions change. From this we can draw the inference that a tale often attributes identical actions to various

personages. This makes possible the study of the tale according to the functions of its dramatis personae.

In other words, the characters name and physical appearance don’t matter. He’s concerned with their function –

or how they act within a story.

The shape of the story depends on the actions of the 7 dramatis personae. It’s about how the character functions

within the story; so through those actions, Propp described 31 narratemes (or stages) of the folktale. For Propp, it

takes both character and plot to define the narratives he’s looking at.





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Plenary

In this tutorial we have recapped the basic pattern of the hero’s journey and looked at how Vladimir Propp’s

theory relates to the theories’ of Joseph Campbell and Lord Ragland, all of these theories have set out criteria that

we can use to help us establish whether or not stories conform to an idealised type.

Lord Raglan set out a series of traits as criteria for whether or not characters can be considered heroes, and then

graded heroes from folklore and Classical literature against his criteria; the more traits a character met, the more

of a hero they were considered to be.

Vladimir Propp focused on the function of characters (his Dramatis Personae) within a specific set of stories in

order to determine the shape of those stories.

Joseph Campbell believed that numerous myths from disparate times and regions share fundamental structures

and stages, and he summarised these stages in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Unlike Lord Raglan, he

did not actually use his theory to classify myths, but we can still use his pattern to look at how narratives relate

(or not) to the myths he was studying.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Remember back to when we introduced literary theory; we talked about separating plot, genre and character

within a work of literature in order to gain insight into the ways an author has created meaning.

Up until now we have talked about a little bit about character (Lord Raglan) and about plot (Joseph Campbell).

However, we have not paid too much attention to genre yet.

So, one last thing to think about is how useful these literary theories are when applied to genres that are not

obviously connected to myth or to the ‘hero’s journey’?

Notes

Assignment

Using the ‘Character Archetypes’ handout (and any notes you made from part 2 of the activity), write an outline

of a hero’s journey undertaken by a character who doesn’t appear to be a traditional hero. Be creative in

imagining problems or difficulties…





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Tutorial 4 – Criticising the Hero’s Journey

Objectives

To critically engage with Joseph Campbell’s monomyth

Assessing Characters (or Heroes in Disguise) – reviewing last session’s assignment


homework assignment. In pairs, share your ‘Heroes in Disguise’ (You don’t have to read the whole thing, just talk

your partner through your thoughts). What happened? Was a gossip able to complete the journey? A monster?

A child? An ordinary man?

Once you discussed this in pairs, come up with 2 or 3 interesting discoveries or problems to share with the whole

group. Don’t forget to let us know which characters you considered!

Subverting the Monomyth

Campbell’s monomyth, while still at the heart of myth studies, is now often seen as rather out-dated. For starters,

not all myths tell a single story. The motif is common, as Campbell showed, but is it really present in every single

myth? Even in myths from Thailand, China or Africa? Some people argue that when you create a pattern, like

Campbell’s, you’re forcing stories to act in a certain way and that you end up with a lot of ‘kinda-sorta’ fits: like

the hero might not really be of royal birth, but his mother was famous, so it’s sort of the same.

Other people argue that one of the most valuable things about mythology is its difference, and a single pattern –

or monomyth – takes all that away. By forcing these stories to fit a single pattern, we lose cultural content (are

there dragons in India or do they fight different monsters?). Myths are (or were traditionally) the very things that

determined a group’s culture. So, if we take away all the things that are different, in order to fit a pattern, what

do we have left?

Some also argue that it’s actually impossible to come up with a universal myth because a single person can’t

define what is for everyone. Any view is always going to be biased. It’s going to contain your opinions, preferences

and views, no matter how hard you try to avoid doing so. For example, Campbell focused on male heroes because

male heroes fit his worldview (and the world-view of the Western myths he studied). What about cultures with

female heroes in their myths? Those stories aren’t taken into account in Campbell’s monomyth.

Discussion – What other potential problems can you see? How useful is the monomyth as a tool for studying

literature?

Extension: The Heroine’s Journey by Maureen Murdock (Appendix)





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Extended Assignment





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Tutorial 5 – Presentations and Feedback





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Glossary/Key Terms

Character:

An individual (usually a person) in a narrative or text.

Fable:

Moral tales (they aim to teach a lesson). They also usually feature animals whose actions mimic human

behaviour. Examples: The Tortoise and the Hare, The Sick Lion, The Bremen Town Musicians, and The

Three Little Pigs.

Fairytale:

These stories do, usually, feature magic, or the magical. Sometimes, this means there are fairies, but

other times, it simply means witches, trolls, monsters and other ‘magical’ creatures or happenings.

Fairytales are also traditionally written down. Where folktales were part of the oral culture (before most

people could really read and write), fairytales developed the ideas and themes from folktales and put

them into stories that were written down. Examples: Snow White, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, etc.

Note – some people do use folktale and fairytale interchangeably (as in some people consider them to

mean the same thing).

Folk:

Term used to describe the oral peoples who originally told the fairytales, folktales, legends, fables and

myths discussed on this course.

Folktale:

If legends are the folk history, then the folktale is the oral fiction of the folk (remember not a lot of ‘folk’

can read or write, so most stories were told (instead of watching TV in the evening, these people told

stories, folktales). These are fiction and are told for entertainment. The word folktale is also often

confused with fairytale, but as we shall see, the two are different. Examples: Little Red Riding Hood, Snow

White, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, etc.

Folklore:

The traditional beliefs, customs and stories of a community (the folk); it is transmitted orally. The

narratives discussed on this course are folkloric, or of folklore.

Legend:

Essentially myths personalised. They aren’t as grand as myths (don’t feature gods/goddesses and all that

goes with those characters), but they are still regarded as truth, in the ways that myths are (or were).

Legends are folk history and often explain natural happenings: like a Native American legend that

explains why the crow is black (he was white before flying too close to the sun and has been black ever

since). Examples: Robin Hood, ‘Urban Legends’, America’s Johnny Appleseed, The Literary Theory:

Monomyth:

Joseph Campbell’s theory of a single unifying pattern underlying what he called all myth (really he was

just focusing on the Western Mythic tradition). The simple version of his pattern is that of separation –

initiation – return.

Motif:

A recurring theme or element in a narrative. Cinderella’s evil step-mother is a motif as the sun-god being

creator (from myth).





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Myth:

Narratives that attempt to answer the questions that arise from simply being human: How did life begin?

Who are we? How did we end up where we are? What are our values? How should we behave? How

should we NOT behave, and what happens if we misbehave? Myths are about giving meaning to our lives.

Myths are sacred because they define us. However, myths are not static – they don’t remain locked away

in a cupboard only to be looked at. Myths change, as our understanding of the world changes (it way

ancient myths and modern myths look so different – Homer wouldn’t understand your smart phone just

as we can’t conceive of a mythic story that explains the difference between winter and summer based on

a story about a goddess being captured – checkout the story of Persephone, if you’re interested).

Mythopoesis:

From the Greek word for Myth-Making.

Taken from the Mythopoeic Society:

We define this as literature that creates a new and transformative mythology, or incorporates and

transforms existing mythological material. Transformation is the key — mere static reference to

mythological elements, invented or pre-existing, is not enough. The mythological elements must be of

sufficient importance in the work to influence the spiritual, moral, and/or creative lives of the

characters, and must reflect and support the author’s underlying themes. This type of work, at its

best, should also inspire the reader to examine the importance of mythology in his or her own

spiritual, moral, and creative development."

Narratemes:

Vladimir Propp’s word for the component parts of a story – any one of his 31 functions is a narrateme.

Narratives:

Texts or stories.





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Appendix:





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Tips for Writing a Literary Analysis

When writing a literary analysis, it is important to make sure that you limit the amount of summarising that you

do. In order to keep from summarising, remember the following tips and descriptions.

Summary vs analysis

Summary – A summary is a brief overview. There are different types of summaries that require different

approaches, but predominantly summaries follow these guidelines:

• Mention only the most important aspects of the plot

• Omit insubstantial details

• Quotes are not necessary (it is assumed that the summary is based on someone else’s words)

• Write in present tense

• Be brief (a summary is meant to be much shorter than the original text)

There are several purposes for a summary. Sometimes a writer is expected to include a summary in an analysis.

In this case, the summary is used to introduce the audience to the text that is being analysed.

This generally occurs within the introduction of the analysis in order to remind or inform the reader of the events

of the text prior to analysis.

Sample summary:

Little Red Riding Hood is the story of a young girl and her sick grandmother who are tricked by a wolf. The wolf

hides in the grandmother’s bed and tricks Little Red Riding Hood into coming into her grandmother’s sick room.

Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother are both swallowed by the wolf, but they are saved by a hunter who

cuts open the wolf’s stomach, pulls them out, and fills the wolf’s stomach with rocks. This experience teaches

Little Red Riding Hood a very valuable lesson.

Analysis

An analysis is a detailed examination of specific elements within a text or other work (i.e., movie, article,

advertisement). In an analysis, the writer breaks down aspects of the text and examines them for purpose, effect,

or meaning. Below are some characteristics of an analysis that differentiate it from a summary.

• Aspects of the plot are not analysed in chronological order (unless there is a reason)

• Elements of the text are discussed in detail

• There is a specific reason for choosing a detail from the text to analyse





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Elements of the text:

• Theme – the central idea of the text.

o A writer might argue that the theme of Othello is jealousy.

• Symbolism – a symbol is an object that represents something other than the original object.

o Examples of common symbols are a cross, which might represent Christianity, the serpent which

might represent evil, a rose which might represent beauty, a lily which might represent purity,

and a dove which might represent peace. Colours alone can also work as symbols. For example,

white might represent purity, and purple might represent royalty.

• Allegory – an allegory is a text, which can be read with more than one level of meaning (a primary or

surface-level meaning and a deeper or secondary meaning).

o A writer might argue that The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a religious allegory in which

Aslan is Jesus and Edmund is the sinner. One example of Aslan as Jesus is the sacrifice of his life

for Edmund’s. Aslan’s return to life can be interpreted as Jesus’ resurrection, and Edmund’s sin,

indulging in gluttony by eating the Turkish Delight and later becoming obsessed with it, is

representative of mankind’s sin, which can be compared to the original sin of Adam and Eve in

the Garden of Eden.

• Characters - Characters within the text may be analysed in many ways

o Archetypal characters can usually be classified by type because they behave or speak in a way

that is typical and expected. For instance the hero is an archetypal character, who often

attempts a journey or quest and demonstrates characteristics or qualities that are valued by the

culture in which he or she lives. Odysseus, King Arthur, and Frodo Baggins are examples of

archetypal heroes. A less obvious archetypal character is the witch, who may appear as a hag or

as a beauty and who tries to trap, delay, or destroy the protagonist (the hero). The evil step-

mother in a fairy tale is an example of an archetypal witch. Other archetypal characters include

the villain, the whore, the virgin, the martyr, the siren, the traitor, and the rebel. Archetypes can

also be found in other elements of the text such as the quest, the journey to the underworld,

birth, life, and death.

o Characters can also be compared and contrasted, and their actions within a text can be analysed

even if they do not seem to fit within a prescribed archetype.

Additional tips

• When using sources, remember that most of what is said in the paper should be your own ideas, not your

source’s. Quotes from sources are used as evidence to support your own ideas.

• Keep your goals in mind. These may change as you progress through your essay, but you want to be sure

to stay on topic.

• Remember that most writing requires steps toward the final version (i.e., brainstorming, researching,

drafting). Don’t expect to complete all these sequences the day before (or the day) the essay is due.

• It is almost impossible to analyse a text that you haven’t finished reading.





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Vladimir Propp’s – Dramatis Personae and Narratemes

The 7 Dramatis Personae

1. The villain – This is the sharpest opposition to the hero, as he struggles against the hero. This is the ‘bad-

guy’. He may attempt to stop the hero from reaching his goal or may be seeking the same artefact. The

villain may also try to tempt the hero away from his goal (and the ‘good-side’). Examples include Darth

Vadar in Star Wars, Scar in the Lion King, Voldemort from Harry Potter.

2. The donor (or provider) – prepares the hero for his quest or gives the hero some magical gift. Typically

this figure is a god, oracle or wise person that the hero encounters.

3. The helper – supports the hero on his quest. This figure is often a wise old man or magician who appears

at important moments to offer the hero aid on his quest. Examples include: Dumbledore in Harry Potter,

Obi Wan Kenobi in Start Wars, The Fairy Godmother in Cinderella.

4. The Princess and her father – The Princess appears in two ways: either the object sought by the hero or

as a reward for completing some other task. She is seen very little in the story, usually only at the end.

The false hero (see below) may try to win the Princess is his attempts to take credit for the hero’s actions.

Propp noted that the Princess and her Father cannot be separated; as he usually sets the hero on his

quest for the princes or awards her as a prize.

5. The Dispatcher – character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off (sometimes the princesses

father works in this role).

6. The Hero – he might be a victim who is looking to right some wrong or a seeker who is questing for the

princess (or some other prize). He weds the princess at the story’s end.

7. False Hero – he tries to take credit for the hero’s actions. He may also try to marry the princess. He

provides another complication (opposed to the one provided by the villain). He appears to act like the

hero and may even be mistaken for the hero, but he’s usually caught or stopped by the hero before doing

too much damage.

31 Narratemes (or functions)

The first seven narratemes introduce the initial story situation: who, where, when, how and why.

1. Something’s Missing: Someone is in danger, or something is missing in the hero’s world.

2. The Warning: The hero is cautioned: “You are too young, inexperienced or weak."

3. Violation: The antagonist disturbs the peace, poses a threat. Can be a real or perceived danger.

4. Reconnaissance: The villain often wants to know where the precious object is located.

5. Delivery: The villain obtains useful information, to be used against the hero. Not good for the hero.

6. Trickery: The villain tries to fool the hero in order to steal something of value or threaten someone

important to the hero.

7. Complicity: The hero falls for it, and he unwittingly helps the antagonist.

Now, the story really begins! In folktales the hero would leave on his quest.

8. Villainy and Lack: The villain threatens/harms someone important to the hero, or something goes wrong.

9. The Challenge: The hero discovers on his own, or is sometimes informed of the lack by the ‘dispatcher’,

who requests or makes the hero feel obligated to help.

10. Counteraction: The hero chooses to accept the challenge or task despite clear personal danger.

11. Departure: The hero leaves and is, (often accidentally) joined by another character known as the ‘helper’

or ‘provider’.





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In the next sequence, the hero sets out on his quest. He may or not get assistance from the ‘helper’, (but the

hero’s goal is clear at this point.

12. The Test: The protagonist is soon challenged, either by the ‘helper’, or someone else needing assistance.

13. Reaction: Our hero responds positively and bravely to the test, but may or may not succeed at this time.

14. Acquisition: The hero is given a magical object from the ‘donor’.

15. Transport: Usually, the hero must travel to another location to reach his goal where he is unwelcomed or

will be in danger.

16. Confrontation: The hero and villain fight. This may not be the climactic battle and the hero may lose this

round.

17. Injury: The hero is injured (or set back in his quest) but is not mortally wounded.

18. Victory: Our hero beats the bad guy, but his victory may only be temporary and actually strengthens the

villain.

19. Resolution: The initial lack may or may not have been fixed, but someone is rescued or something is

returned through the direct efforts of the hero.

In many stories this might be the story’s end as the hero returns and all is well. However, Propp provides an

additional story possibility. Many of his suggestions are optional from now on.

20. The Hero Returns: The hero leaves the place he initially went to for his quest and heads back home.

21. Pursuit: The hero is chased by the villain who again tries to kill him or take back what the object.

22. The Rescue: The hero narrowly escapes, often through the assistance of the ‘helper’, or due to a new skill

or moral realization.

23. Back Home: Our hero gets back home but he/she is unrecognized or must hide from danger.

24. The False Claim: Because the hero appears absent, others may spread false rumours or question his

heroic character and attempt to be the champion or ‘false hero’.

25. The Difficult Task: This is a direct challenge to the hero who must do something which seems impossible,

(i.e., get the golden fleece, fight a dragon, etc.).

26. Task Performed: The protagonist proves again his mettle by accomplishing The Difficult Task.

27. Recognition: The protagonist is acknowledged by someone important to the hero. He proves himself.

28. False Claim is Exposed: The false claim by the false hero is usually revealed as a direct result of the hero

having performed the impossible/heroic task.

29. Acknowledgement: The hero is seen in a new light and his heroism is recognized by everyone else.

30. The Hero Wins: The bad guy is vanquished by the hero in a climactic battle, usually in physical combat.

The false hero is often punished as well.

31. The Hero Returns: In folktales the hero usually marries a beautiful princess and ascends the throne.





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The Heroine's Journey (adapted from Maureen Murdock)

This journey is also cyclical (it makes a circle), so it could be plotted just as the ‘Hero’s Journey Chart’ is.

1. Separation from the feminine

2. Identification with the masculine and gathering allies

3. Road of trials, meeting ogres and dragons

4. Finding the boon of success

5. Awakening to feelings of spiritual aridity: death

6. Initiation and descent to the goddess

7. Urgent yearning to reconnect with the feminine

8. Healing the mother/daughter split

9. Healing the wounded masculine

10. Integration of masculine and feminine





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Assignment Resources

Brilliant Club Assessment Objectives

You have probably come across Assessment Objectives at school. The Assessment Objectives used by The Brilliant

Club fall somewhere in between the ones you have already used in school and those you will encounter at

university. If you were interested in looking at the marking criteria used by King’s College London English

Department, you can find them at http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/study/handbook/sguides/ugmarkcrit.pdf.

AO1 - Effective Research

We are looking for students to:

Use precision in the handling of concepts and in the selection of evidence presented to support points o Lower level: Make use of learning materials from the tutorials and reading assignments o Higher level: Make use of additional materials that have been independently sourced

Show awareness of historical context, where appropriate o Lower level: Using generalised historical context to support argument. o Higher level: Using independently researched historical context to strengthen and develop

argument

AO2 - Critical Thinking


Demonstrate a careful and critical engagement with the material o Lower level: Analyse concepts o Higher level: Evaluate concepts

Show imagination and originality o Lower level: Making links between content o Higher level: Synthesising ideas and drawing conclusion

AO3 - Essay Writing


Demonstrate a precision, clarity and facility of writing o Including spelling, punctuation and grammar

Engage with and answer the question o Lower level: Give a clear answer to the question at some point o Higher level: Answer the question with an acknowledgement of definitions/parameters etc.

Structure their writing effectively o Lower level: Use structure to develop an argument or reach a conclusion o Higher level: Put forward and sustain a coherent argument

AO4 – Self-Reflection


Recognise alternative approaches and show an awareness of limitations to their own

Identify and possibly even explore further avenues of inquiry





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Essay Requirements

Question:

How useful is Joseph Campbell’s Hero With A Thousand Faces as a tool for literary criticism?

Word Limit:

2000 words, not including footnotes or references

Deadline:

At university you are allowed a 10% discretion on the word limit; the same stands here.

Referencing Guide

Plagiarism is when you pass off someone else’s work as your own. It doesn’t matter whether that person is

your best friend, your mum, the author of a book or the anonymous author of an article on a website.

If you use someone else’s research, you quote them IN QUOTATION MARKS without changing the wording, and

then reference it – i.e. put their name and the page number. It is fine to paraphrase – to put someone else’s

argument in your own words – but you must still reference properly (i.e. name of the author).

At university, you will be expected to provide more detailed in-text citations as well as a more detailed

bibliography (see below), but for the purposes of this essay, these guidelines will suffice.

Bibliography

At the end of your essay, write a new heading – ‘Bibliography’ – and list all of the sources you have used in your

essay, including primary texts such as novel or film you might have used to talk about Joseph Campbell’s

monomyth. They should be listed in alphabetical order by the author or critic’s surname, without the page

numbers. If you are citing a source that doesn’t have an author, such as a website, then put it at the very bottom.

Is your source from a book?

Name of critic or author (surname, first). Title of book in italics

Example: Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces

Is your source from a newspaper or journal article?

Author (surname, first). ‘Title of article in inverted commas’, Name of newspaper or journal in italics

Example: Raglan, Lord. ‘The Hero of Tradition’, The Study of Folklore

Is your source from a website?

Name of author (if there is one), ‘Title of piece in inverted commas’ (if there is one), Full url of website

Skidmore, Joel. ‘Hercules’, http://www.mythweb.com/hercules/index.html

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